The present invention relates generally to household carts and more particularly to a household cart including a base enabling a handle for the cart to be selectively positioned at plural positions relative to the base.
There are numerous commercialized household carts for carrying household items, such as groceries, beverages and some items of wearing apparel. These prior art household carts have frequently included a pair of wheels mounted on a basket. A handle, frequently having an inverted U shape, usually extends from the basket and, in certain configurations, telescopes with respect to the basket. Some of the baskets are foldable, for ease of storage in automotive vehicles and residences. The typical prior household carts have limited volumetric and weight capacity. In addition, they are not usually adapted to carry elongated clothing articles, such as pants, suits or skirts, without folding and/or compressing the articles against each other. Since several of these articles of clothing are frequently on hangers while transported to a residence from a cleaning establishment, the present household carts are rarely used by householders for such articles. Certainly, a householder does not want his or her clothing folded and compressed after being commercially pressed. The prior art household carts have generally been incapable of carrying substantial loads, such as kitchen, laundry room or basement xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d appliances. Also, the prior art household carts have generally been difficult to manage on steps or street curbs.
Because of these problems, the prior art household carts have met with only limited success. Consequently, the vast majority of householders transport household items between their automotive vehicles and residence by hand. This frequently necessitates several back and forth trips. When a householder transports clothing articles, such as topcoats, full length dresses, suits, pants and skirts, from an automotive vehicle to a residence, the householder usually grasps a large number of hangers and slings the clothing over his or her shoulder, causing significant hand pain. In addition, the clothing articles are compressed together and the expense of commercial pressing is, to a certain extent, wasted. There is, to our knowledge, no currently available household cart capable of carrying garments on hangers, simultaneously with carrying other items, such as groceries, particularly heavy items such as cases of beverages. Further, many household carts of which we are aware are relatively expensive and difficult to maneuver.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved, relatively inexpensive and highly flexible household cart having the capability of carrying many different types of household items.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved relatively inexpensive household cart having a handle which can be positioned in several different positions on the cart.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved household cart that can be easily stowed in a trunk (i.e., a boot in the United Kingdom) of an automobile.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved household cart including a handle having plural operative positions and which can be stowed on the cart so the cart can be easily stored in a relatively small volume, such as an automobile trunk or behind a door or in a closet of a residence.
An added object of the invention is to provide a new and improved household cart including a handle selectively having relatively short and long lengths, selectively enabling the cart to (1) be easily stowed and (2) carry relatively large clothing apparel items, such as topcoats, full length dresses, suits, pants and skirts.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved household cart which can easily be wheeled about a kitchen and is arranged so items to be stored in kitchen receptacles, such as cabinets and refrigerators, can easily be removed from the cart, without bending.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved household cart having a handle for carrying household items, wherein the handle is positioned relative to wheels of the cart to minimize the likelihood of cart tipping.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved household cart having a base for securely carrying relatively heavy articles, such as beverage cases and watermelons, as well as heavier household articles such as refrigerators, and having a handle for carrying other household items.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a household cart comprises a household item carrying base including first and second receptacles adjacent the base back edge for selectively receiving first and second opposed legs of a handle for carrying household items. The first and second receptacles are positioned to cause the handle to extend substantially transversely of the base, between side edges of the base in proximity to two wheels adjacent the base back edge. The base also includes third and fourth receptacles positioned (1) between the side edges for selectively receiving the first and second opposed legs of the handle and (2) to cause the handle to extend substantially longitudinally of the base between the base front and back edges. To stabilize the base while the handle is in the third and fourth receptacles, the base includes at least one and preferably two wheels adjacent the base front edge.
Preferably, for stabilization, the third and fourth receptacles are approximately midway between the side edges and the cart includes four wheels, having locations defining a rectangle. For added stability the two back wheels are closer to the back edge than the first and second receptacles. The handle is positioned between a transverse center line of the cart and the back edge when the handle is in situ in the first and second receptacles. A structure on the handle for receiving the household items is arranged so that when the handle is in situ in the first and second receptacles the structure and its contents apply a torque on the handle tending to turn the handle away from the back edge and toward the transverse center line.
As an added feature, studs downwardly depending from the base receive hooks of at least one elasticized tie down cord. The base includes openings for receiving the tie down cords for holding household items in place on the base.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention a household cart comprising a household item carrying base carries two wheels adjacent its back edge and two wheels adjacent its front edge and a handle for carrying household items. The base includes a pair of receptacles for selectively receiving first and second opposed legs of the handle. The four wheels have locations defining a rectangle on the base. Each wheel is mounted on a housing having a structure protruding downwardly from the base adjacent each of the sides of the base. The handle has spring properties and a geometry such that inner portions of the first and second legs thereof frictionally engage and are frictionally held in place by the spring properties of the handle and the protruding structure of the housing for each of the four wheels.
Another aspect of the invention concerns a household cart for carrying various household items comprising a household item carrying base including at least two wheels and a handle for carrying household items. The handle includes selectively extendable legs for enabling the effective length of the handle to be changed at will. The handle when (a) in an expanded position has a length sufficient to carry a topcoat on a hangar suspended from an upper part of the handle and (b) in a retracted position has a length short enough to enable the cart to be placed in a trunk of an automobile. When the cart is placed in the automobile trunk, the legs of the handle extend in a plane generally parallel to the face of the base.
The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed descriptions of several specific embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.